Trunk construction



D. B. HART.

TRUNK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATKON FILED NOV- 4, 1920.

1,398,01 6. Patented-Nov. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I INVENTOR WITNESSES DAV/05H;-

A TTORNEYS D. B. HART.

TRUNK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED'HOV. 4. 1920.

1,398,0 1 6, Patented NOV. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Zr .3. 225.5. .12 v .2; i

E. Q 1 l7 INVENTOR WITNESSES DAV/p5 MR7.

Arm/45m UNITED STATES DAVID B. HART, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRUNK CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

Application filed November 4, 1920. Serial No. 421,664.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID B. IIART, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Trunk Construction, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of trunks and refers particularly to trunks of the sectional type especially designed for traveling salesmen.

At present it is the custom for a traveling salesman to resort to the use of a plurality of trunks, the combined number serving to carry a full line of goods to be demonstrated, and one or more of said trunks being designed to carry a smaller line of goods. Under this practice, the separate trunks frequently become separated and cause untold inconvenience and a loss of time.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a trunk including a plurality of independent sections capable of being nested and locked to each other to overcome the above recited objection.

Another aim and object of the invention is to provide adjustable means for connecting and locking any number or all of the sections together.

With the above recited and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trunk constructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrating the several sections thereof secured in nested relation.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View therethrough taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line l:t of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a. detail fragmentary side elevation of the detachable joint between the securing band sections.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the same detached.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the trunk comprises a plurality of sections 10, 11, and 12, said sections being preferably of different heights. The sections are ofv identical construction and each is provided at one side thereof with a cover 13 having an independent lock 14. The top of each trunk is provided with a central longitudinal groove 15 and at the bottom with a similar groove 16. The bottom of each trunk is further provided with longitudinally extending ribs 17 and the top of each of the trunk sections is provided with spaced, longitudinal grooves 18 disposed at opposite sides of the center groove 15 and parallel thereto. The grooves 18 are designed to receive the ribs 17 when the sections are arranged in associated relation. hen thesections are detached the ribs 17 function in the usual manner as supporting runners upon which the trunk rests on a supporting surface. If desired the trunk sections may be partitioned or provided with sliding drawers 19 as illustrated, this an rangeinent being optional to the manufacturer. The means for securing and locking the trunk sections together comprises aband including the common top and bottom seetions 20 and 21 and the side sections 22, 28 and 24. The sections 22, 23 and 2 1 correspond in length to the height of their respective trunk sections and each of said bands is provided at its upper end with a reduced neck 25 having laterally disposed trunnions 26. The bottom terminal of each section is provided with spaced hooks 27 constituting knuckles adapted to respectively receive the trunnions 26, with the neck 25 disposed in the space therebetween. The bottom section 21 is provided at both of its ends with reduced necks having trunnions 26. The top section 20 is provided at one extremity with the spaced hooks 27 and has hinged as at 28 to its opposite extremity a lock hasp 29 provided with a lock section 30 which is designed to cooperate respectively with-any one of the lock sections 31 carried respectively by the sections 22, 23, or 24, adjacent their upper ends.

In use of the trunk, any two or more of the trunk sections 10, 11, and 12 may be locked together by associating therespective band sections corresponding 'to the trunk sections. For instance, if it is desired to associate the sections 10 and 11 only, the lock section 30 carried by the lock hasp 29 is released from the lock section 31 of the band section 2%, and the hooks 27 of the top band section 20 are detached from the trunnions 26 of the band section 2 1 and are ap plied to the trunnions 26 of the band section lock hasp 29 is swung to a position to engage the lock section with the lock section 31 of the band section 23, thus securing the trunk sections 10 and 11 to each other. When in locked position the top and bottom band sections 20 and 21 are disposed within the top and bottom center grooves 15 and 16 respectively to prevent lateral movement of the band from the trunk sections. The band will function to retain the ribs 17 and grooves 18 whereby to prevent lateral relative movement between the trunk sections and will prevent longitudinal or horizontal relative movement thereof, thus effectively retaining the sections against separation.

It is to be understood that the right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated herein, to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed or by varlations 1n the phraseology of the same.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and deslre to secure by Letters Patent:

tom walls and spaced grooves in the top walls inter-engageable with the other trunk sections to prevent lateral separation thereof when assembled, said trunk sections having centrally arranged grooves in the top and bottom walls thereof, of a band adapted to embrace said trunk sections for retaining the same against separation.

2. The combination with a trunk includ ing a plurality of separable trunk sections, each provided with-spaced ribs on the bottom walls and spaced grooves in the top walls adapted for interchangeable interengagement with the other trunk sections to prevent lateral separation thereof when assembled, said trunk sections having centrally arranged grooves in the top and bottom walls thereof, of a band adapted to embrace said trunk sections for retaining the same against separation, said band including common top and bottom sections and a plurality of side sections each corresponding in height to its respective broken section, inter-engageable means on the opposite extremities of each band section, a common locking means carried by the top band section, a second locking means carried by each of the'band sections of the side, adapted to co-act with the common locking means to retain the band sections against separation.

DAVID B. HART. 

